Edgar Allan Poe has been an icon of English language literature for over a century. Between the chilling and killing of Annabel Lee to a raven rapping at a chamber door, his works are amongst some of the most celebrated and reenacted in our culture. A Poe fan, but not an expert, I’ve stopped in many places where Mr. Poe lived during my travels. And it occurred to me: just how many sites are there to visit for Poe enthusiasts?

Surprisingly, I couldn’t find a comprehensive list of Edgar Allan Poe sites. I did some digging around and compiled this … Continue reading

Newport is one of my absolute favourite places in the United States, and it’s also a bit of a hidden gem. Located on an island on the shore of Rhode Island, Newport is a summer town known for its historic gilded-age mansions and historic charm dating to the 17th century. It’s a wonderful destination to put on your USA itinerary, especially if you’re here for the summer.

Newport History

Aquidneck Island, Newport’s location, had been settled on for thousands of years by the Pokanoket tribe. Actually, current downtown Newport had been an important Pokanoket settlement that the European settlers took … Continue reading

I love, love, love Newport. On our last trip, we got to visit one of the mansions there, Rough Point. Rough Point was the home of Doris Duke, an incredibly wealthy heiress and socialite during the mid-20th century. You may know her more famous home, Shangri-La in Hawaii. We came in expecting a beautiful home but there was a little surprise in store for us.

Exploring Rough Point Mansion

Rough Point is owned by the Newport Restoration Foundation rather than the Newport Mansions, but it’s still a mansion in Newport. It was built by the Vanderbilts in 1892 as a … Continue reading

New England is absolutely one of my favourite places to explore in the United States. While their winters are cold, their summers are (generally) a nice escape from the extreme heat of the south. Combined with the historic charm and natural beauty of New England, it makes an amazing road trip.

Here are ten of my favourite places we got to visit when we were visiting up and down New England’s coast.

Kennebunkport, ME

Kennebunkport has a colonial history dating back to the 17th century and has been a popular summer destination since the 1870s. Though it burned down half … Continue reading

Don’t you wish you could live an extravagant lifestyle with an endless supply of money? I do. I have a huge wishlist of material items and among them would be my beautiful dream home, completely at my design and taste. That’s why, for me, it was super exciting to go to Newport, Rhode Island and explore some of their mansions. It’s so invigorating to see what others built with their endless supply of money.

The history behind it is fascinating as well. Love them or hate them, the American gilded age birthed some of the wealthiest families without pedigree – … Continue reading